Based on the Mark Twain story "The Million Pound Note", Man with a Million (1953) went by the original short story title in the UK, where it was filmed. Gregory Peck was one of the first A-list stars of the era to do a British film, a market then reserved for American actors on their way down.

The pauper-to-prince setup is a timeless one. A penniless American named Henry Adams (Peck) is given a note for one million pounds by two wealthy brothers (Ronald Squire and Wilfrid Hyde-White) who consider it a lark to see what happens to him. They bet against each other over the premise that the recipient won't even need to cash the note to live a rich life. Instead, he will be showered with goods and services on readily given credit. As you might expect, that's the way it turns out--at least initially. Adams gets posh digs, a season of suits from the finest tailor and is feted by the highest society without having to pay a schilling. In the mix, he becomes a shareholder in a mine, whose stock price he booms on the basis of his perceived wealth, and then, when he suddenly can't find the note, goes bust, bringing an end to the gravy train. He also meets and falls in love with Portia Lansdowne (Jane Griffiths), the niece of a family of the peerage. Lucky for Adams, she loves him despite his temporary riches.

"Because it was a good comedy opportunity, Peck loved making the film, although it didn't exactly set the film world on fire," Michael Freedland relays in his biography Gregory Peck. "...[N]o expense was spared on the best and sometimes ornate interior sets and Greg himself says he was given what was probably the most elegant wardrobe he had ever worn in a film."

It's true that Man with a Million performed only modestly at the box office in the States and overseas and reviews were mixed. The New York Herald Tribune called it "a production shimmering with the Technicolor elegance of the horse-and-carriage era." It went on to say, "after the first few surprises....it cannot quite make up its mind whether it wants to be a breezy satire on human vanity or a fancy period romance ....[Peck's] touch with comedy is light but guarded, almost suspicious, but no one really throws himself into this affair."

The New York Times wanted to love Man with a Million, but couldn't totally commit to it: "The...cast is refined. The production in color is delicious. And the direction by Ronald Neame is smooth. Indeed, there is everything about it that renders it apt and amiable--everything, except bounce and buoyancy, which are matters of cleverness..."

The film's British cast is nonetheless packed with wonderful character actors. Peck was particularly excited about working with A.E. Matthews (Duke of Frognell), whose resentful character gives Adams a rough time. Reportedly, Peck was extremely impressed by Matthews' memorization of a wordy stage role in The Chiltern Hundreds several years earlier. For their film together, however, the 80-year-old actor needed to be fed his lines, though he still delivered them flawlessly. Matthews even spared costumers trouble by supplying a turn-of-the-century riding outfit needed for a scene from out of his own closet.

Some of the best comic bits in Man with a Million are supplied by Reginald Beckwith, who puts in a memorable performance as Rock, a mute circus strongman who becomes the millionaire's butler and confidante.

Producer: John Bryan
Director: Ronald Neame
Screenplay: Jill Craigie; Mark Twain (story "The Million Pound Bank Note")
Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth
Art Direction: John Box, Jack Maxsted
Music: William Alwyn
Film Editing: Clive Donner
Cast: Gregory Peck (Henry Adams), Ronald Squire (Oliver Montpelier), Joyce Grenfell (Duchess Cromarty), A.E. Matthews (Duke of Frognell), Maurice Denham (Mr. Reid), Reginald Beckwith (Rock), Brian Oulton (Lloyd), John Slater (Parsons), Wilbur Evans (American Ambassador), Hartley Power (Hastings), George Devine (Lloyd Hastings).
C-88m.

by Emily Soares